Based on the events in Prohibition-era Chicago in the 1930s, “The
Untouchables” tells the story of famous gangster Al Capone ( Robert De
Niro) and Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner), the treasury officer who, along
with his band of “Untouchables” (called so because they refused to take
bribes), eventually put Capone behind bars. Capone was one of the most
famous inmates at Alcatraz, who eventually died of syphilis while
incarcerated. The film begins with the introduction of Capone, who is
liked by the press and claims that he is not a violent man. Shortly
thereafter, there is a brief scene that demonstrates the violence that
has come to define the liquor wars of the time. We then meet Eliot
Ness, a family man who is about to have a tough first day on the job.
After a failed bust where Ness is made to look a fool in front of the
Chicago police, he meets a wise beat cop named Malone (Sean Connery).
Ness is sent some interesting help by the bureau in the form of
accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith). A frustrated Ness
enlists Malone’s help and together they get the fourth member of their
team, a young, as yet uncorrupted member of the police force named
George Stone (Andy Garcia). The four men go on their first liquor raid
and finally score big.

Needless to say, Capone is angered by this bust, again shows his
ruthlessness, and the war is on. What results is an attempt by Ness and
the others to interdict liquor coming across the border from Canada
while Wallace tries to figure out how to catch Capone for income tax
evasion. After a thrilling sequence at the border, the Untouchables
gain their first key witness. Unfortunately, that witness does not live
very long and the group loses its first member to the gang war.
Ultimately, the film focuses on the battle between not only law and
lawlessness, but on the relationship of these four different men who
risk everything to fight a man they know to be corrupt and violent.

A commercial and critical success, “The Untouchables” benefits from
brilliant directing by Brian De Palma, excellent writing by famed
scribe David Mamet, fine cinematography from Stephen Burum, spot-on
period production design from Patrizia Von Brandenstein and wonderful
performances from the entire cast. This film more than anything made
Costner a big star and Connery was rewarded with an Oscar. De Niro is
unflappable as Capone and lends the film the needed petulance,
regalness and violence that this man represented. The storytelling is
simple yet refined and De Palma introduces some of the most visually
stylistic moments of the last 20 years, most notably with the sequence
in Chicago’s Union train station that echoes Sergei Eisenstein’s Odessa
steps scene from “Potemkin.” Needless to say, this is a very fine film,
and easily accessible to all sorts of film lovers.

A side by side comparison of this version with the older DVD, which I
happen have, reveals many technical superiorities in the new edition.
The transfer is notably crisper, with less distortion in the lines,
especially in diagonals and provides greater color clarity. The
saturation is nearly the same, but due to the greater crispness of the
new transfer, the colors don’t bleed at all, which seems to punch up
the color saturation. This is an exceptionally well designed and
photographed film, and the transfer helps to accentuate the framing and
period aspects. This is an older film with a likewise older print, and
while it is generally cleaner than the previous DVD, there are areas
where some dust makes an appearance. This tends to be most notable on
what is probably the third to last reel of the film. Who knows, maybe
someone dropped that can one too many times and it got more nicked up
than the others. Overall though, this is a great improvement. The
clarity is particularly remarkable in a few instances where the actual
pattern and weave of the costume fabric can be seen. The clarity that
is necessary for this type of resolution exemplifies just how crisp
this new transfer is.

The sound mix is vastly improved, most notably in the dialogue and
musical score tracks. Ennio Morricone’s unusual yet brilliant score is
punched up at appropriate moments and adds a level of subtlety that
would define the soundtrack of any film. The dialogue has been cleaned
up considerably, with some previously muddy lines getting the clarity
and attention they deserve. It’s always interesting to hear an updated
5.1 channel mix on a film that originally only had stereo tracks.
Sometimes the remixers tend to overblow certain elements or put them in
an inappropriate channel, but the updated 5.1 EX mix in this case is
very good. Let’s be honest, you should never really notice the sound of
a film, just like you should never notice the camera movement, acting,
music, etc. It’s all there to serve a purpose, but the moment it calls
attention to itself, the viewer knows he or she is watching a movie. No
such problems with this DVD.

Laurent Bouzereau, renowned documentarian who most recently did the
updated interviews for the “Indiana Jones” trilogy, directs the newly
updated featurettes, which contain new interviews with director De
Palma, cinematographer Burum and actor Smith, along with older
interviews with Costner, Connery and Garcia. The interviews from 2004
focus on various aspects of production, intercut with behind-the-scenes
footage and on-set interviews with all members of the production. While
it’s too bad that Costner and Connery weren’t available for updated
interviews, Bouzereau has fashioned a lucid, professional set of
featurettes that can either be watched individually or as a whole.
What’s missing most are interviews with screenwriter David Mamet and
film commentary by director De Palma. Otherwise, considering the film
is 17 years old, the updated features are interesting and provide some
good information about the casting, writing and directing of the film.

This fantastic film from director De Palma features some of the most
memorable sequences ever created on film. With a new DVD edition that
has expanded special features, an updated mix and a crisp new transfer,
this makes a can’t miss DVD for any film lover.